Star Fox: The Third Wing
by Vahn Gremio
Summary: An old threat arises with a new face as the forces of Andross rise once more. 19 years after the Anglar invasion, a new Star Fox team must rise to the challenge of defending the Lylat System lead by Fox and Krystal's child Kitsune McCloud. Reviews welcome
1. Introduction

Star Fox: The Third Wing

Introduction

This story includes much of Star Fox: Command's influence into the game lore, but as the game has too many endings to work into the fanfiction, I have used my own personal ending that I customized.

Here is a brief prologue as to what has happened to the Star Fox Team in this fanfic's universe:

19 years after the Anglar invasion, the Star Fox team has deemed it wise to retire their pilot positions and live in peace on Corneria.

Peppy awarded the title Headmaster to Falco Lombardi, who would teach new pilots of the Cornerian Military Pilot Academy due to his superior piloting skills. His wife, Katt, assists in teaching the new recruits. They do not have any children as of yet.

Lucy Hare had been promoted within the Cornerian Military to Lt. General. She is a single mother of a young boy named Lucky Hare, who is currently the number 1 ranked pilot at the Cornerian Military Pilot Academy.

Slippy and Amanda finally wed and settled down, having a young son named Arrow, and retired from service altogether. Their son has since grown to show a different sort of growth than either of his parents: unlike his father, Arrow grew to easily exceed 7', and was quite muscular due to constant training and learning the skills of a genius mechanic from his father.

Fox and Krystal also became married and had a child of their own. Following in Fox's footsteps, their child Kitsune McCloud enrolled in the Cornerian Military Pilot Academy at a young age, and became labeled an Ace Pilot at the age of 15. Now 17, Kitsune plans on taking up the mantle of Star Fox and returning the mercenary group to its rightful place amongst the stars...


	2. Chapter 1: Learn to Fly

Chapter 1: The Stars' Calling

The morning air was crips and cool against the dark ornage fur as the young fox ran with all the speed he could possibly muster. With each powered step, a huff of breath escaped his lips, crystallizing and clouding before him. His uniform askew and misplaced, his hands grasped a bag that was only half slung over his left shoulder, hitting him in the back over and over again.

Before him stood the gates of the Academy, and above those the most dreaded thing he could ever imagine loomed with certain malicious glee...

He was 15 seconds away from being tardy.

Cursing under his breath, he lowered his head and upper body, pushing every last muscle to its last ounce of energy. His legs were already tired from running so long after having missed the shuttle that they ached with each effort. Only 7 seconds left, and he was so very close...

Or he would have been, had he not spotted his most hated rival in the academy...Derek Grey stood just behind the gates, his muzzle turned into a rather sinister smirk. The dog tapped an invisible watch upon his wrist, taunting Kitsune for every second the fox took to reach the gates. Before the time was up, however, the dog began to quickly close the gates, an action he loved to perform as part of the Disciplinary Committee.

3 seconds remained. With one final surge of strength, Kitsune launched his slender frame through the small gap remaining and tumbled forward, landing on foot and knee inside the gate. The bell rang, a sign of his small yet satisfying victory. With a snarl, Derek finished closing the gate and hefted up his own pack.

"Ya won't be so damned lucky next time, streaky," he barked, jogging towards the school doors. Kitsune snarled after him before slowly standing up and brushing off his pants, rear, and shirt of any dirt that had been aquired.

Streaky was a nickname Derek had given the child of Fox and Krystal McCloud, due to the large blue streak running across the long burgundy hair. It was a sign he was his mother's child, the blue fox's fur making its mark upon his body.

The name did not bother him too much, however, since he always put Derek to shame in simulations. With a smirk at that thought, he headed inside, straightening his uniform and placing his backpack upon his shoulders properly.

As he made his way inside the doors, he could not help but hear the heavy bass beats and the even heavier footsteps to his left. Down the hallway came his best friend and constant partner in dual-combat training, Arrow Toad. The intimidating amphibian, with the torn-sleeve uniform and the camo pants, was wearing his signature headphones and music player, blaring it on full volume. Spotting his small fox buddy, the toad grinned and pushed his way through the crowd of trainees, slapping the fox's sore back with a powerful hand.

"Almost missed the bell again, Kit? You're luck's gonna run out faster than a cat's, man..." Arrow teased, rubbing Kit's blue-streaked hair to a ruffled mess. Growling in annoyance, since he had just fixed his outfit, Kitsune looked up at the large toad and punched him in the ribs.

"I just straightened up, you idiot. Don't make my efforts meaningless..."

Arrow shrugged as the two walked towards their lockers. Classmates immediately made way for Arrow and his companion. No one ever considered that Kitsune was the one who was the leader, or that he was older than Arrow by a couple of months. They just saw the toad's sheer size and apparell and found him quite intimidating.

It was useful having such a person treat you like a younger brother...even if you were older than him. Kit did not usually mind, since Arrow was usually harmless. The toad kept to himself most days, listening to his music and tinkering with random gadgets given to him by his dad. Arrow's piloting skills were among the lowest in the school, but when he proved his mechanical skills, his hand to hand combat abilities, and his mastery over dribing Landmasters, he had obtained more scholarships than even Kitsune had when he was ranked 2nd best pilot at the academy.

Closing his locker after he had obtained the proper textbooks and the contents of his schoolwork, he looked up at Arrow with a grin. "You know, you'd be able to make more friends if you didn't scowl at everyone all the time..."

Arrow let out a loud croak, aimed towards no one yet scaring away a freshman, crying all the way. "Yeah, yeah, man, what ever. So, ya hear who's teachin' our class today? Not gonna believe this man...it's your old man's buddy!"

Kitsune gulped as he listened to Arrow's words right as they entered their classroom. Before he could turn around and decide today was a great day to call in sick, the Headmaster of the C.M.P.A. spoke in a high, authorative tone...

"Glad ya could make the class, McCloud. So like yer dad in thinkin' ya can do things your own way. Sit down with the big buffoon already and...take those damn headphones off, ribbit-boy!...now, all of ye, shut yer traps. Time to teach you newbies how to fly for real..."

Falco Lombardi smirked wryly at the class. Simulations were over, it was time for the real deal...  
>-<p>

Lining up side by side, each student stared in awe as their headmaster stood before them in his custom-made Star Fox uniform. Standing next to him stood one of the legendary pilots of the Anglar Invasion: Katt Lombardi. The pink-furred cat looked rather strange to Kit, standing next to her blue-feathered husband, but then the picture of his own parents popped into his head and he could not help but be thankful that he did not end up an orange and blue swirl.

"Alright, ya newbs. You all have done simulations way too damn long. Time to step up the difficulty a bit. You all are only a few months away from graduating and obtaining not only your pilot liscenses, but also discard the title of civilian and be known as a crappy newbie pilot who thinks they know everything."

The falcon tapped his hand upon the side of his arwing, no longer flyable but kept in pristine condition as a trophy and monument to his legendary history as a pilot. Kit could not help but look at the aircraft with awe. His father had a similar Arwing here on the Academy's airbase, along with his mother's, Arrow's dad Slippy's, and even the great General Peppy's. He had only seen the aircraft once when he was very young, when his parents had decided to retire.

Arrow, meanwhile, was far too busy sleeping at his desk, the music from his headphones pounding away. How he was not deaf, Kit had no idea...but he did know that Arrow would be in major trouble if he did not pay attention. Kit often worried that Arrow would not even graduate if he kept ignoring the lessons and refusing to practice in the simulations.

Before he could open his mouth to speak and try to wake Arrow up, a powerful kick to the frog's jaw flung him from his chair and into the walled bookcase behind him. Books fell onto the large toad one after another, forming a steady drumbeat to the laughter of the other students. The look on Arrow's face, however, made them all shut up immediately as he stood up, rage showing in his eyes. He looked down at the one who kicked him and the look changed from rage to fear.

Katt cracked her neck and looked up at him, her leg still partially raised from the kick she delivered. With her arms crossed over her chest, she smirked at Arrow and tapped her ear, motioning for him to get rid of the headphones. Arrow complied immediately...

"If I catch you with those on your head again and see that you are napping during training, I will make certain you listen to your headphones through a cast. Do I make myself clear?"

Arrow nodded dumbly at their teacher, as well as everyone else. Even though they had not been in trouble, many had been doing things to distract them...

Returning their gaze to Falco, who gave his wife a quick kiss and a wink, the lesson began.

"In four weeks time, you newbies are going to learn and master an actual aircraft. You will be taking off, landing, handling weaponry, repairs, maintenance and ammunition. You will load up your own aircraft in pairs of 2: a Pilot and a Mechanic as all of your simulations have gone so far. However..." Falco grinned as he spoke the next few words, and his grin only grew when he saw the students' reactions, "...I ain't lettin ya pick your own partners. I will be doing it personally."

Kit looked over at Arrow, who had been his partner throughout all of their simulations. The two had formed an incredibly impressive team. Would the Headmaster pick the two as a team, or would they be competing against one another for the first time? Every student was looking at their usual partners just like they were. Falco and Katt memorized each one and grinned at one another...each student just gave away who they would not be partnered with. 


	3. Chapter 2: Frenemies

Chapter 2: Frenemies

It was a nightmare come true. Out of all of the possible partners Kitsune could have had, this was, by far, the worst possible outcome.

Next to his name, serving as his mechanic, was Derek Gray.

Arrow could not help but pat the poor fox on the back as they looked up their pairings. He had lucked out and had been paired with the number one pilot in the entire academy, mostly due to the pilot's own personal request. The kid did, after all, have a lot of pull to even push the headmaster into forcing one pairing.

Perhaps that was why Headmaster Falco had decided it was going to be a fun idea to put the most well-known rivalry together as a team. Perhaps that way he got a bit of revenge, or maybe he just did not care...

It certainly felt like an act of hatred to Kit as he continued to stare at the listings.

Maybe if I stare at it long enough, it'll go away... Kit thought, his eyes closing then opening to see if his theory was correct. All he found was the name once more, staring right back in his face with a dark, cruel grin.

The evil name also came with a barking laughter, although it took a moment to make Kit realize the laughter was coming from behind him. Arrow was already looking at the source with arms crossed and a scowl upon his face.

There stood Derek, himself, with his followers right behind. They were called the Doberman Brigade, although Derek was very much a bulldog like his father. The main difference was that Bill Gray had been a noble, well-respected pilot, and had retired his wings to live a good retired life. Derek was completely the opposite, often bullying those ranked lower than him into giving up their lunch money. His lackeys shared the same kind of attitude, although they were much less annoying.

"Well, looks like I got the wannabe legend as my partner. I might as well ask the teacher for an F, since that's all a loser like you will get us," Derek barked, his arms crossed over his muscular chest.

Arrow bristled at the insult, his much larger frame making slight movements showing that he was ready to deck the small dog. Kit, however, placed a hand upon the toad's arm and calmed him, looking at Derek through long bangs.

"I still have no idea what the hell your problem is, but you need to get over yourself. We are a team, and you know I'm a damn good pilot. The only way we'd fail is if you screwed up on purpose to just make me look bad."

Derek's smile turned into a snarl as he took a few steps towards Kit. Even Kit's hand did not stop Arrow's arm from intercepting the bulldog, the large amphibian looking down once more at Derek. Without a word, Derek let out a grunt of annoyance and turned away, walking off towards the cafeteria with his entourage in tow.

"Thanks, Arrow..." Kit rubbed the back of his head, mumbling to himself. "This is going to be tought...haven't competed against you since we were kids..."

Arrow grinned and smacked Kit on the back again; it was a wonder the poor fox didn't have spinal injuries. "Relax," Arrow said. "It isn't really me versus you, it's me versus that stupid dog, so you can just cheer me on. Of course, it's gonna suck for you if that idiot really does decide to bring your rivalry before your graduation..."

Kit sighed and shrugged slightly. They wouldn't know until the final lessons. He only hoped that things would not be as bad as Arrow was joking. Knowing Derek, the worst was always possible...  
>-<p>

In no time flat, the four weeks had ended. Luckily, for Kit, they had ended without serious incident with Derek. The two had, of course, had some choice words for one another and never truly got along outside of class, but during their lessons they were all business. Derek proved to be a very skilled mechanic, even excelling in areas even Arrow was proficient in. If Derek had not been such a jerk, Kit might even have complimented on the dog's work.

Of course, it had not all been easy sailing. Flying an actual aircraft was much different than the simulations. The feeling of his stomach rising closer to his throat was one of the new experiences, and was something he truly would rather go without. Firing was also something completely different, as he not only had to keep the aircraft steady, but also focus on his surroundings to avoid clipping the wings and even keep focus enough to fire at the targets.

It seemed he was not the only one having problems with this as nearly all of the other pilot students were having issues with this problem.

Everyone, except, the number one pilot.

Kit had yet to meet the man, and had always wondered who it was. He had always thought it being Headmaster Falco's child, but the fact that their teacher, Katt, had never been pregnant, it was highly unlikely it was a child of Falco's.

After finishing a flight path with a new personal record, Kit saw the top ranked student begin to exit his aircraft. With a wide smile, he dashed over to introduce himself. The closer he got, however, the shorter the pilot idol seemed to get. After coming within ten feet of the student, Kit realized something that almost destroyed his image of the person.

The pilot was only about four feet tall, except for the long ears extending from the helmet. Kit watched as even the helmet was removed to reveal a curtain of long, beautiful hair that draped down to the lower spine of the pilot's slender, slightly curvy frame. Kit's eyes bulged a bit at the sight.

The pilot turned and showed long pink bangs covering the right side of the face. The rest of the face, however, showed to be a very pretty young female bunny. Her light brown fur matched well with the long pink hair, and the slight buck teeth added to her cuteness. Kit was amazed that such a pretty, short girl was so highly ranked...

Seeing she was being gawked at, the cute rabbit tucked her helmet under her arm and placed the hand upon her hip. Walking over to Kit, who had managed to regain his composure, the rabbit stopped just short...literally...of the taller fox.

Kit smiled down at her and offered a hand. "Hi there, nice to meet you. I'm Kitsune McCloud, ranked number two. I've heard a lot of your skills, but no one seemed to know your name. I'm surprised to see my superior is such a lovely young woman."

The rabbit, who had been reaching her hand out to Kit, paused the moment those words escaped Kit's lips. Glaring up at the fox, the cute rabbit's face contorted to one of rage. Her voice seemed to boom out, and made Kit's image shatter once more.

"Who the hell are you callin a woman, you stupid ass fox?" The rabbit's voice was light, but was obviously a male's. Reaching up, the rabbit grabbed Kit's shirt and pulled him down to her...or rather, his, level. "Call me a chick again, and I'll be shoving my helmet up your ass. Got it?"

Kit could only nod dumbly before the rabbit shoved him back. Almost immediately, Kit grasped his shirt and tugged it upwards, as if hiding something. "S-sorry...didn't mean an insult...the hell is your problem, anyways? I at least introduced myself, how about you stop being a dick and do the same?"

The rabbit laughed and slung the helmet over his feminine shoulder. "It's Lucky Hare, Cloudbrain. You should learn the names of your betters. Makes you look way less stupid."

Lucky turned and began to walk away before looking over his shoulder and pointed at the fox, a cruel grin upon that attractive face. "Oh, and since you seem so proud of being number two, how about you do something useful and get me a drink. I'm thirsty and tired after showing you idiots how to properly fly a plane."

Before Kit could make another comment, Arrow walked up next to him and grumbled under his breath. "Yeah, that little bastard's what I have been dealing with these past few weeks...compared to Derek, I think you got the better teammate."

Kit hated to say it...but he had to agree that Lucky Hare was by far one of the most unpleasant people he had ever met. However, something the rabbit said remained stuck in his head...he had said something about a competition. Was there truly a competition coming up soon? If so, Kit could only shiver in both fear of competing against Lucky, and anticipation for a chance at revenge for the cocky rabbit. 


End file.
